The Great Supper — E.A. Johnston

Great and dreadful God, I come before you by the blood of thy dear son. I ask for your spirit to attend the preaching of your word. I ask you to come and work in the hearts of people this evening, that your spirit will disturb folks, that you will bring holy ghost conviction of sin and lead some poor sinner here this evening to the very brink of eternity.

Lift the lid off that dark, bottomless pit and open their eyes so they can see the red glow of those burnings there as hellfire flashes on their soul. Open their ears and let them hear the terrible cries of the damned.

Let them get a whiff and a sense of that burning sulfur as it billows forth and ascends out of that smoking pit of a raging furnace. Great God, in your mercy I pray that you will show mercy and grace and that you will open someone's heart to see a bleeding and dying Christ on Calvary hanging there with his arms outstretched, squirming there under the awful weight of sin.

Come and awaken and alarm and disturb some secure sinner here tonight. I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus. Amen. Well, I've got a humdinger of a message for you tonight, friends, and I'm going to take the gloves off and hit hard and straight.

I'm going to preach the undiluted gospel of the Son of God, and like we say in the South, I'm going to give you the oil straight from the can because I don't want you to go to hell. Hell is a terrible region of constant turmoil and suffering.

Don't go there, friend, I beg you. So pull up a chair and hang on to your seats as we take a trip to a heavenly banquet table. The title of my message this evening, friends, is The Great Supper, and it's a great supper indeed.

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

There's a fantastic scene spoken of in the book of Revelation of a future event so desirable to be at that heaven and earth. Pause to look at the guest list. It speaks of a great supper and a culmination of the groom and his bride.

In chapter 19 we read,. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia, for the Lord God, omnipotent, reigneth.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb. I will stop there, friends. Oh, what a wondrous day that will be! Some ask, Why hasn't Christ returned yet for his bride?

The reason for Christ's delay in his return is he is waiting for his bride, the Church, to prepare herself for the wedding supper of the Lamb. She needs to be dressed in fine linen, clean and white. God demands holiness from his followers.

Christ won't come back for a dirty bride. We must get ready, our Bible says. And now, little children, abide in him, that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

The Parable of the King's Son

This great supper is portrayed in vivid detail in the parable of the Gospel of Matthew, in the parable of the marriage of the king's son. In Matthew chapter 22, we read, beginning in verse 1,. And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,.

The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son. And he sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding, and they would not come. Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden.

Behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen, and my fatlands are killed, and all things are ready. Come unto the marriage. I will pause here, friends. This great supper illustrates the grace of God toward men.

This certain king is a picture of God himself, who has prepared a great feast for man. In the goodness of his heart, he invites poor sinners to come and partake of his rich provision. But what does man do with this invitation?

Rejecting God's Invitation

They treat it with indifference and willfulness. But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise. In other words, friends, these men rejected the offer to the great supper and excused themselves because of other priorities like business cares and worldliness.

Divine Judgment Against Rebellion

And then on top of that, they were cruel persecutors and murderers. And the remnant took his servants and entreated them spitefully and slew them. Next we see the divine indignation against sin and sin's penalty.

For in verse 7 we read,. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth, and he sent forth his armies and destroyed those murderers and burned up their city. Now we see the grace of God in a free offer of whosoever will.

Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready. But they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good.

And the wedding was furnished with guests. I will pause here, friends, to say, Here is the Buddhist and the Mormon as they sit together comparing their religion and reasons for being at the feast. Here is the Catholic and the one in the Church of Christ One claims he is there because of good works, the other because of good water.

Each has a reason for being at this great supper. After all, the invitation was extended to all. It's a mixed multitude gathered there that day, but they have all one thing in common, and that is religion.

The Necessity of the Wedding Garment

We see the king come into this great banquet hall, and he goes around greeting his guests one by one. And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there was a man which had not on a wedding garment, and he saith unto him, Friend, how comest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment?

In the day of visitation, in the last judgment, many at this great supper will be exposed as their life is tested, and those who have not the robe of righteousness will be called out. Those standing there in their own merits will be disqualified for that great supper.

The only ones allowed in there are those standing in the merits of another, the Lord Jesus Christ. Well, the king comes in and goes around the room calling people out one by one. Friend, where is your wedding garment?

One answers, Why, your highness, I wear the garment of religion. Should I not be here at this religious feast? Another answers, I wear the garments of good works. Do not they prove my worthiness to be here?

The king goes around the room to examine each person one at a time and questioning them. Some say they are there because they wear the garment of church membership and claim being a good church member is good enough qualification.

Some others defend themselves by saying, I am baptized and it's all I need to be here. But the king grows indignant as he exposes their hypocrisy and their mouth is stopped or text says, and he was speechless.

Outer Darkness and the False Profession

Then said the king to the servants, bind him hand and foot and take him away and cast him into outer darkness that there should be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but few are chosen.

There, those guests who don't belong there are filled with terror as they realize their exposure is fakes and frauds as they see the red glow beyond the banquet hall of a burning lake. The prophet Isaiah describes their predicament and surprise.

The sinners in Zion are afraid. The fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings. On the terrible day, friend, when the king comes in to examine the lives of each one there, as God is the searcher of every heart, Jesus said, strive to enter in at the straight gate for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in and shall not be able there at that great supper is seated the prophets, the men and women of Hebrews chapter 11, those whom the world was not worthy.

But the king declares that there should be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. Here we see the final separation of castaways bound up against their will and cast into outer darkness.

We see the remorse and grief as they wail and weep and spit and curse and gnash their teeth in anger and regret. The hypocrites were never discovered to be without a wedding garment until the king came in to see the guests.

False Friends and the Reality of Hell

The day of judgment will be a great discovering day. The king calls the guest friend, but sadly many in the church are but false friends to Jesus. There are many who live within the church and die without Christ.

How about you, friend? Where do you stand with the God of the Bible? Are you not seized with terror? The damnation of hypocrites to another world full of darkness speaks of hell itself, the nether region that lies in extreme darkness where those that are cast in there lie in pits of smoke and darkness and the smoke of their torments ascend up forever and ever.

Christ's Provision for Sinners

But listen, friend. This great supper has room at the table for you. God has made provision to reserve you a seat there by the death of his son, Jesus. Jesus came into the world doing good, healing the sick and giving sight to the blind.

He fed the hungry and gave rest to the weary. But what did men do? They said, Away with him and nailed him to a cross in a place called Calvary. He was despised and rejected of men. He was wounded for our transgressions He was bruised for our iniquities and the chastisement of our peace was upon him.

The Righteousness of God in Christ

As a bleeding and dying Christ hung on that ignoble cross he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Look at that man on the cross, friend.

Look at that man on the cross. See him there with his arms outstretched beckoning you to come to him and believe on him. In those three hours of darkness on the cross he was made a sacrifice for sin. He satisfied the demands of a broken law becoming a curse for us so God could offer forgiveness of sin to every repentant sinner so God could make the great supper and invite you to come and partake of Christ Jesus.

The Free Invitation to Come to Christ

Oh friend, it is my prayer that you just won't hear the shaky voice of this poor preacher but that you would hear his voice as it comes to you in majesty, power, and authority. Oh, everyone that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye, buy and eat yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price come, friend, and reserve your seat at this great supper prepared by gracious God venture you all on Christ and own him as your Savior and Lord.

Living Water and the Final Call

In the last day that great day of the feast Jesus stood and cried saying, if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water come, friend and cast your sin burden down at his nail-pierced feet come to Christ, friend and believe on him he is calling you to come to this great supper and partake of the marriage of the Lamb hear his gracious call and the Spirit and the bride say come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.